| Without warning, the silvery light that appeared to bring new people from other worlds and old items from home appears once more, and this time it lingers, forming portals as tall as an average human near each of the three Ingress shrines. The location does not appear to be a coincidence; this time, the portals are translucent, revealing the destination on the other side. Instead of taking Avagi's residents to the future, it will take them to another world.
If they step through the portal, travelers will find something far different from where they've been living this last month: Kaittos, a peaceful world containing one large land mass and a scattering of lived-on islands across a clear blue ocean. On the mainland, a large city-state occupies the central region and southern coast and resembles what some travelers from some versions of Earth might know of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Bustling and lively, the city is clean and well provided-for due to the temperate climate and the bountiful natural resources found on its northern side; orchards, farms and forests extend into the distance, butting up against a small mountain range. The technology level is low compared to Avagi, with carriages and candles in place rather than cars and electric lights, but the craftsmen of the world have managed some very impressive mechanical feats.
Kaittans, the local residents of the world appear somewhat humanoid, but the bipedal race has hooves rather than feet, silvery skin and three eyes with vertical pupils. Although there is no sign of any other sentient species in the world, the locals are nonetheless excited to meet their guests, rather than suspicious or afraid; for some reason, they are not surprised that aliens exist, merely that they are here.
In the weeks to come, the stabilized portals will provide a respite from the more confined lifestyle aboard Avagi. Travelers are warmly welcomed and encouraged to explore the land. Some things they'll find include...
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With all their material needs taken care of, the civilization on Kaittos has come to highly value cultivation of the mind. The city itself is full of what can only be generalized as culture. Theaters, art galleries and sizable libraries can be found on every tier, but what they offer is not contained by their walls. Street musicians appear on every other corner, artists are easily found sketching at beautiful viewpoints or interested passersby, and people are as likely to find themselves pulled in to participate in a scene or improvisational performance as they are to witness one. Public debate and rhetoric are also valued, with credit given for style and clarity as much as substance. At the center of the city, a large conservatory teaches lessons in many fields to anyone who cares to study.
This love of culture is so encompassing that visitors who wish to acquire items or resources will find that culture is also the main form of currency. To get something, they will have to give something. Those with skills that fall into traditional arts and culture could offer a piece of art, a music lesson or participation in a debate with other philosophical scholars, perhaps. But visitors will also find that the locals have a deep hunger for information and wish to learn about other worlds; if they can offer nothing else, sitting down with a scholar to record a tale of folklore or an adventure from their own. Lessons in whatever skills they possess are likely to be eagerly sought after, although the aptitude to learn them may not be there.
For those who wish to gain resources or make purchases, a bartering economy does exist to a degree, but it is difficult to break into, as there is little that the locals would truly need from their visitors. The exchange of knowledge is much more prized. Keep in mind, though, that while the Kaittans are not ungenerous, they have an eye for value—the more precious something is, the more travelers will have to offer to earn it, and individuals have their preferences. What might be just the thing desired by one could be pooh-poohed by another.
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While many on Kaittos see food as the fuel that keeps their bodies going so they may better cultivate their minds, others see cooking itself as an art. This is especially prevalent in this section of the city, located deep in the heart of the city, where chefs toil over new recipes and experiment with new ingredients, serving meals free of charge—unless you consider sitting through a lengthy survey afterwards to be a payment, of course.
Although some meals are unpalatable or even dangerous to human bodies, most can be enjoyably consumed. However, around one in five chefs make extensive use of a particular herb that is incredibly delicious—and somewhat addicting. Those who begin to develop a dependency will visit again and again, and the more they consume, the more they may not want to leave at all...
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Spoken of in hushed voices, this section of woods is regarded with great caution. A space of around ten acres is home to many natural springs that form natural pools between copses of trees, many of which hang dropping branches with deep blue leaves over the surface of the water. If asked, the locals will say that this place is where some very old Kaittans—which are an extremely long-lived species—who have decided they've studied everything available in the world and mastered every skill they can, go to "renew" themselves. They prefer to speak of it in vague terms, as specific discussion of this choice is seen as something of a faux pas. If greatly pressed, it is possible to learn the details ahead of time—but difficult.
The truth is that the water of the springs, when mixed with a chemical secreted by the fallen blue leaves, represses memories of those who drink it. Not to the point of complete amnesia; a sip might do away with the recollection of a particular book that was enjoyed, while multiple glasses might hide the memory of a longer period of time. However, there is no control over what is forgotten, or how much is too much. The Kaittans who grow too frustrated with what they view as stagnancy drink to forget so they may have the joy of learning all over again, but the lack of control makes it a risky choice—and some continue to return to drink after they otherwise would have, as they have forgotten what they wanted to forget.
(Of note to those of the psychic persuasion: memories affected by the spring water are not utterly obliterated, but merely deeply sublimated. It is possible to retrieve them, but it would be a challenge, especially if the placement of the memory gaps are not obvious.) |
| While Kaittos’ architecture and culture includes plenty to admire, a few points of interest stand both literally and figuratively above the rest. Three large pyramids tower over the landscape, shining the brilliant metallic blue of a local ore. Over the coming weeks, these structures will be adorned with temporary murals and hangings—apparently, a yearly celebration is approaching.
What kind of celebration? The kind, fortunately (?), that visitors are welcome to join in! November 23 marks the anniversary of what they call the Great Awakening: a visit by a powerful spirit that opened their people's awareness to worlds and cultures outside their own. For the next few weeks, the temples offer welcome to anyone who wishes to participate in their trials. On the day of the Awakening, all who succeed will experience a remnant of the spirit's gift. While descriptions of the process vary, all center around heightened awareness: of each other, and of worlds and places far beyond their shores. Those who decide to make this attempt may choose which temple—and which trial—they would face.
Trial of Life
A test for warriors and scouts, this trial is not recommended to the casual. On entering the temple, participants will find themselves in a maze of obstacles and passages, struggling for survival against dangers both mobile and environmental. To succeed, they must pass inside with no more resources or weapons than can be carried in two hands, and survive for a period of five days. The attackers and hazards within the space are phantasms generated by the temple: solid enough to harm or kill, but prone to re-appearing even once a region should be cleared.
Needless to say, extensive warnings will be given to those expressing interest in the trial. Most who attempt do so in groups, and teamwork among participants is readily encouraged. Those who need to leave early are welcome to do so, but fleeing does count as a failure.
Trial of Communion
The inside of this temple is divided up into a series of open booths. Participants are assigned a station, and will be approached by members of the local population with various disputes that require arbitration. The purpose of the trial is twofold: to assist others with their problems, and to test those making the attempt—in patience, debate, and their skill at resolving conflict through the use of words.
No authority is granted to those taking this test. None of those who come before them are obliged to listen. The participants will be presented with conflicts that have been saved up through the year, and required to work out a solution. This can include anything from property disputes to marriage arguments to literal children's squabbles. Breaks are allowed for food and basic rest, but otherwise, those taking the trial will need to spend five days in continual discourse for the sake of others. Those who give up on any problems brought before them or resort to violence in solving them are considered to have failed the trial.
Trial of Healing
The third temple presents no dangers, whether to one's life or to one's sanity. Instead, it serves as a medical center. Those stepping inside will experience a strange peacefulness and sense of comfort—one the full-time staff confirm has helped many patients to recover. While this temple is open throughout the year, the weeks preceding the Awakening are nonetheless a time of gathering: when healers of all disciplines will come together to assist those in need.
While doctors or healers are welcome to share information with their peers, no special skill or training is required to attempt this trial. Instead, participants are asked to spend a period of ten days doing whatever work is required to assist the sick. While most of the ailments brought to the temple are longer-term in nature, it also functions as a triage center for those harmed in the Temple of Life. |
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thisavrou_log2017-11-09 08:50 pm
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Something in that 'huh' makes it sound like it. He blows out a breath, hard enough to ruffle the longer white hair in his face. This is complicated.
"Yeah. Me and my team are pretty much all across the universe anymore."
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Risky too. The way things were going, being spread out was the greatest asset they had.
"Really? Been anywhere cool?"
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Not that it's a hard connection to make, with that name. But it's finally a familiar name.
"Ever heard of a Balmera?"
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He shakes his head. "No. Never heard of it. What is it?"
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A half dozen other races, yes. But not anything familiar like that.
"This is going to sound crazy, but, trust me, it's real." He grins, mostly to himself, looking back out over the water. "It's a living planet. A living thing the size of one, anyway."
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He gives him a curious look, because hey, he has to hear this now. "I've seen my share of crazy so..." He can take it. Probably.
Except that explanation. That is... "Is it sentient? Or are we talking... giant fungus here?"
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He laughs, though. At the question. If he hadn't seen it himself, he'd have thought the same thing.
"I have no idea how it works, but. Probably sentient. Our commander spoke to it."
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He gives a small smile, although there's an edge of incredulity to it. "So you're saying planet-sized sentient creature that... did you land on it? Was it inhabited?"
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What else do you say to something like that? When, eventually, that could be him? It could be his life. Who's to say there's any going back, for any of them, when the war is over? If the war is over.
Ever.
"Yeah, and yeah. It'd had its own population since... anyone could remember. But the locals were being used as mining labor. Harvesting crystals the Balmera produced."
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It's a whole lot of complicated feelings. God knows he has enough of those to more than last the rest of his life. Which to be fair, is probably going to be short.
The story about the Balmera is much more interesting than thinking about home. "Mining an actual creature? That's..." He's not sure how it would work in the first place but... "Doesn't that hurt it?"
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His teammates probably even more than him. But still. Earth was home. For most of them.
He shakes his head. "The way the locals were doing it? No. From what I understood, it was like... living on a bee colony?" A shrug. "They only took the excess crystals. Just what they needed."
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"Hopefully without the bees," Wash replies, amused by the idea. "Sounds interesting. What's it like being on a planet that's also a creature? Would you know by looking?"
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Because for his part, Shiro sort of thinks he already has. The team is another story. And they're the ones who matter, to him.
"Yeah, no bees." Just Shay and her people. "No, I don't think so. We knew going in, but... up until it groaned or the people communicated with it."
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"It sounds amazing though. Never heard of anything like that where I'm from. The aliens are distinctly less friendly for the most part."
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It's a little too much, to think about, sometimes. Too much to process. So you focus on the things you can process.
"Let me guess... you're fighting them?"
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"Yeah. That obvious? They're called the Covenant."
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I's a joke. A little black humor. But that's how he copes.
"I haven't heard of them."
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Weakness isn't an acceptable thing to show, but the blackest humour is just standard practice for a soldier.
He shrugs. "Probably for the best. They want to drive humanity to extinction. Not too far from it."
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No, it's really not. All the more reason to hold it in. Right? Contrary to what literally everyone tells him.
"They don't have any relation to anything called the Galra, do they?"
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He gives Shiro a curious look. "Not as far as I know, but there's a few species that are part of it. Galra what you've got problems with?"
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He nods toward the ocean, for emphasis. It's mostly a joke.
"Yeah. They're our problem, back where my team and I come from."
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"I'm assuming they're a pretty big problem." Just the way he says it...
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More flat humor. But hey. He's trying. That has to count for something, right?
"Enough to cause a war, yeah."
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Are there real sentient fish out there? Possibly. But he's not thinking about them right now.
He grimaces. "I'm sorry. That's a shit position to be in."
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They're kidding around here, right? This part is a joke, isn't it?
A shrug, leaning back against the rail. "I could say the same for you."
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